How Does the Genesis Creation Story—the Story of Adam and Eve—Answer the Question, "Is Being Gay a Sin?"

Some Christians argue that the Bible forbids homosexuality based on the fact that, in the beginning, God made Adam and Eve, and they were commanded to multiply and populate the earth, a natural act for all living creatures. They also argue that being gay is unnatural because it cannot result in procreation; thus, it is a behavior that must have resulted from the "fall of humankind" when Adam and Eve committed original sin. However, not all Christians and religious institutions agree with this viewpoint. Therefore, we must ask ourselves:

Homosexuality Is Not a Sin

Homosexuality Is a Sin

Many Christians who believe that being gay is a sin point to the story of Adam and Eve and proclaim that God commanded Adam and Eve to procreate, which means that homosexuality goes against God's plan and, thus, homosexuality is a sin. These people also reason that homosexuality resulted from original sin, that it is "unnatural," and that it is, therefore, a sin. There are several problems with this logic.

Moreover, what about couples who choose not to procreate or who are unable to do so? Is their marriage a "sham" or "less important" because they do not procreate? It is true that in the Old Testament procreation was integral and necessary in order to increase the human race. However, there are currently approximately 7 billion people on earth and the need to procreate simply is not as important in the present time. In fact, in some countries, such as China, it is even discouraged or disallowed due to overpopulation.

However, just because Adam and Eve were the first humans on earth to procreate does not mean that all other kinds of relationships were therefore disallowed. In the beginning, many things were not in existence yet (there were no marriage ceremonies, there were no relatives, there were no churches, there were no children until Adam and Eve conceived them), but that does not mean that all of these relationships and entities are evil. They simply did not exist. Likewise, there were no transgendered, bisexual, or homosexual people because they did not exist.

According to the story of Adam and Eve, God created Eve to be Adam's companion and wife. He created a woman to be Adam's counterpart. God did not create two men or two women to be life-long companions; instead, he created a male and a female. Thus, God intended all marriages to be based on this template for marriage.

Most Christians do not believe that the need to procreate is evil, and they most certainly don't blame cancer patients, people with genetic diseases, and people with the flu for their illnesses. Yet, some Christians will single out homosexuals, bisexuals, and transgendered people, who may be in steady, monogamous relationships or who may even be celibate, and they will chastise them for their sexuality. They will proclaim that their sexuality is "unnatural," even though there are plenty of examples in nature where same-gendered animals bond. They will claim that Jesus never supported same-sex marriages, but they will leave out that He never condemned same-sex marriages either. At any rate, when these Christians promote procreation as the reason behind all marriages instead of love, they appear to discredit marriages that produce no children, and they obscure the fact that many biblically-sanctioned marriages are based on love and not reproductive convenience.

Although a primary reason why most Christians marry is for love, one cannot deny that people also marry so that they can create and raise a stable, healthy family. Thus, the role of procreation in a marriage is often a vital part of the marriage, so much so that a man or woman may seek an annulment if one partner stated before marriage that he or she wanted children but then decided that he or she doesn't want children after the marriage. Obviously, since homosexual relationships go against God's purpose for marriage, these relationships cannot be considered God-sanctioned, and are, therefore, sinful relationships.

Numerous men in the Old Testament had multiple wives; however, the men also eventually understood that is a sin for them to have multiple wives, and some repented. In Deut. 17:17"And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold" Deut. 17:17 ESV., Moses stated that the man who is designated as a king should not have multiple wives or excessive wealth. Furthermore, Jesus reaffirmed the "one man-one woman" marriage model when He stated in Matt. 19:4-5, "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?" Jesus does not explicitly condemn polygamy, but, instead, affirms the one man-one woman marriage model when He quotes the Old Testament.

Homosexuality Is Not a Sin

Homosexuality Is a Sin

One may think that Jewish polygamous marriages suddenly disappeared during New Testament times because they are not mentioned in the New Testament, but Jewish polygamy was also heavily practiced during these times. Even though Josephus was one of the first ancient Roman theologians to speak out against homosexuality, he credited polygamy in two of his works as a recognized institution.3 Moreover, in 212 A.D., the lex Antoniana de civitate Roman law granted Roman citizenship rights to many Jews, but still allowed them to continue to practice polygamy even though it was against the law for Roman citizens to have more than one wife.4

In 285 A.D., a constitution of Diocletian and Maximian made polygamy illegal for everyone under the Roman empire, but Jews continued to practice polygamy despite the law.5 Theodosius enacted a special law in 393 A.D. to compel the Jews to relinquish polygamy, but the Jews still refused to give up polygamy.6 In fact, only in the 11th century did Jews in Northern France and Germany wholly adopt monogamy.7

Interestingly, Jesus never condemns polygamy even though it was widely practiced by Jews in New Testament times; He only condemns divorce and adultery. In the same manner, Jesus never condemns homosexual marriages, and homosexual marriages are never mentioned in the Bible. Instead, society has declared polygamy illegal, mainly because of abuses that often result from polygamy. However, society has not wholly declared same-sex marriages as illegal, mainly because same-sex couples share the same type of love and devotion as heterosexual couples.

Pure unconditional love - homosexual or heterosexual love which should be present in all marriages - is indistinguishable. An outsider to the relationship cannot have the same feelings and devotion as those who are involved within the relationship, within the marriage. Oftentimes, however, a couple's love and care for each other often radiates through them to society, regardless of the couple's sexuality.

Polygamy was discouraged and phased-out during New Testament times. Polygamous biblical relationships in the New Testament must have been rare since they are not mentioned in the Bible. Furthermore, Jesus and Paul make it clear in the above verses that marriage is allowed between one man and one woman. Thus, the New Testament not only restricts the number of individuals who may marry each other, but also the gender of the individuals who may marry each other. Since the Bible only blesses Christian marriages comprised of one man and one woman, the Bible must condemn all other types of marriages between Christians.

Even though Jesus never specifically condemns polygamy, He also never condemns homosexuality. Since we know that polygamy is not a Christian-support concept and is illegal, we must surmise that same-sex marriages are also not Christian-supported and they should be illegal as well. Just as polygamy undermines the sanctity of marriage because it thwarts God's marital master plan of one man, one woman, same-sex marriages also undermine the sanctity of marriage because they violate God's master plan as well.

1Watkins states, "The conception of adultery as possible against a woman is unknown to all polygamous codes of law. They are agreed in understanding that adultery on the part of a man is sin with the wife of another man, and that its adulterous character does not belong to it either as against the offender's own wife, or even as against the partner of his sin" (as cited in Joyce, 1948, p. 571-72).

Watkins further states, "Both the guilty parties are regarded as committing adultery against the husband whose property the sinful woman is. The statement of our Lord in S. Mark x. that a man can commit adultery against his wife (ἐπ αντἡν) is thus itself exclusive of polygamy" (Watkins, 1895, 598).

3"When the Christian Church came into being, polygamy was still practised (sic) by the Jews. It is true that we find no references to it in the New Testament; and from this some have inferred that it must have fallen into disuse, and that at the time of our Lord the Jewish people had become monogamous. But the conclusion appears to be unwarranted.

Josephus in two places speaks of polygamy as a recognized institution: and Justin Martyr makes it a matter of reproach to Trypho that the Jewish teachers permitted a man to have several wives" (Joyce, 1948, p. 570). Return

4"Indeed when in 212 A.D. the lex Antoniana de civitate gave the rights of Roman citizenship to great numbers of Jews, it was found necessary to tolerate polygamy among them, even when though it was against Roman law for a citizen to have more than one wife" (Joyce, 1948, p. 570). Return

5"In 285 A.D. a constitution of Diocletian and Maximian interdicted polygamy to all subjects of the empire without exception. But with the Jews, at least, the enactment failed of its effect . . ." (Joyce, 1948, p. 570). Return

6"(I)n 393 A.D. a special law was issued by Theodosius to compel the Jews to relinquish this national custom. Even so they were not induced to conform. Only in the eleventh century did the Jewish communities in Northern France and Germany definitely adopt monogamy" (Joyce, 1948, p. 570). Return

7"Only in the eleventh century did the Jewish communities in Northern France and Germany definitely adopt monogamy" (Joyce, 1948, p. 570). Return